France demands more EU backing for fighting militants in Africa

RIGA, Feb 19 (Reuters) - France complained on Thursday that
its European allies were not doing enough to help fight
terrorism and instability in Africa and demanded a fairer
sharing of the burden.

In the last few years France has intervened militarily
against al Qaeda-linked Islamists in Mali and to restore order
in Central African Republic, but has struggled to rally support
for EU missions from partners wary of military involvement.

With Islamic State now present in Libya and Boko Haram
posing a threat to French-speaking countries in West Africa,
Paris sees the militant threat in Africa growing.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian shook up an EU
defence ministers' meeting in the Latvian capital with a public
appeal for other European countries to make a greater commitment
to security in Africa.

Following attacks in Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen there
was no longer any real separation between internal and external
security, Le Drian argued.

"We must act both in our territories and in crisis theatres.
Consequently ... the burden of European security must be fairly
shared out. I called for solidarity," he said.

Le Drian said, for example, that the EU was having
difficulty putting together 60 experts needed for a military
training mission in Central African Republic and he complained
that the EU has a 2,000-strong rapid reaction force, known as a
battle group, on standby at all times, but has never used it.

Le Drian said the EU was putting its faith in U.N.-led
efforts to end Libya's conflict and there had been no talk at
the meeting of military intervention.

The growing danger Islamic State poses in Libya, close to
Europe's borders, became apparent on Sunday when it released a
video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.

A French diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Paris had been asking the EU diplomatic service for six months
to prepare for a positive or negative outcome to the U.N. peace
effort in Libya "and we have nothing on the table so far".

He said there was now an immediate threat from the presence
of terrorist groups in Libya "who have a clear target, which is
Europe."

France was not promoting a military option in Libya, but if
the U.N. mediation succeeded, "we will need some strong
follow-up, perhaps some military presence on the ground, and we
have to prepare for that," he said.

Saying Boko Haram was becoming "perhaps the main threat for
security in Africa", he said France was asking Britain to be
"more pro-active on the issue" and to work with neighbouring
countries to contain the threat.

Troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been battling the
Islamist militants of Boko Haram who have seized territory in
northeastern Nigeria in a five-year insurgency.
(Editing by Dominic Evans)